Updates and Newsletters: The main news stories from the major sources, selected, compiled, and occasionally commented on by Michael Novakhov ("Mike Nova") | Public RSS Feeds on the various topics of Global Security | Topics oriented news reviews

EU foreign ministers stressed the need Saturday for Russia to defuse tensions with Ukraine following a two-day informal meeting that ended with leaders insisting that all options remain on the table — including further sanctions.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt stressed the need for resolve in dealing with Moscow after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula in March — arguing that Russia had deviated from accepted norms. Unity among the 28 member states was critical.

"We should be very firm on international law and the rules that must apply," he said.

Bildt took it a step further, underscoring Western unease with the Crimean referendum, which was called just two weeks after Russian forces had overtaken the Ukrainian region. Ukraine and the West have rejected the vote and the annexation.

Bildt, who served as a mediator in the Balkan conflict, said that outsiders must start thinking about Russia's motives in the complex interplay of faith and power.

"We are having a profound debate on what is the nature of Russia ... I think it's pretty clear that Russia has changed in the last few years," he told reporters outside the session in Greece. "There is a new political mentality, at least from the Kremlin. They are intending to build up... an Orthodox bastion against the West."

Referring to a public rally last month in which Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in front of a banner reading "Crimea is in my heart," Bildt said, "You have to ask yourself, what else is in his heart?"

Speaking just before the meeting got under way Friday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague urged EU partners to develop stricter sanctions for possible use against Russia should they become necessary. The EU has so far imposed sanctions against individuals.

The informal meeting involved just the 28 ministers, without the presence of assistants, to facilitate debate, in a tradition reaching back to 1974. Foreign ministers of EU candidate countries, as well as the chairman of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs committee, were invited to join on Saturday, the final day of the meeting.

April 6, 2014 (FORT HOOD, Texas) -- Despite evidence that suggests Spc. Ivan Lopez had an argument before going on a shooting rampage, investigators said they may never determine what compelled the Fort Hood soldier to kill three soldiers and wound 16 others before taking his own life.

Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, Fort Hood's commander, said that an "escalating argument" precipitated the assault. He declined to discuss the cause of the argument but said investigators believe Lopez made no effort to target specific soldiers - even though at least one of the soldiers shot was involved in the dispute.

"There was no premeditated targeting of an individual," he said.
However, the military has not established a "concrete motive" for Spc. Ivan Lopez's rampage, said Chris Grey, a spokesman for the Army's Criminal Investigation Command based in Quantico, Va.
And because Lopez is dead, he added, "the possibility does exist that we may never know why the alleged shooter did what he did."
Three of the wounded are still hospitalized in fair condition at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in nearby Temple.
Investigators now believe Lopez's mental condition was not the "direct precipitating factor" in the shooting, Milley said Friday, one day after he said that condition appeared to be an underlying factor in the attack.
The crime scene encompasses two city blocks, Grey said.
Lopez initially began firing near an intersection, then traveled to several nearby buildings, went inside and kept firing. While driving to those locations in his vehicle, he fired indiscriminately at other soldiers, Grey said.
Grey also confirmed for the first time that the military police officer who confronted Lopez exchanged words with him before firing a single round at him that apparently missed. That's when the gunman put his .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol against his head and pulled the trigger one last time.
Authorities have interviewed more than 900 people in their investigation, Grey said.
Also Friday, Lopez's father said his son had struggled with the recent deaths of his mother and grandfather and the stress of being transferred to a new base.
Lopez's father, who shares the same name, said his son was receiving medical treatment but was a peaceful family man and a hard worker.
"This is very painful for me," the elder Lopez said in the statement issued from his native Puerto Rico. He called for prayers for the dead and the 16 people who were wounded in the rampage.
"My son could not have been in his right mind," Lopez said. "He was not like that."
Wednesday's attack was the second at the base since 2009, when 13 people were killed by Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan, who had said he was angry about being deployed to Afghanistan and wanted to protect Islamic and Taliban leaders from U.S. troops.
Lopez, an Army truck driver, did a short stint in Iraq in 2011 and told medical personnel he had suffered a traumatic brain injury. The 34-year-old was undergoing treatment for depression and anxiety while being evaluated for post-traumatic stress disorder, base officials said.
But officials said Lopez did not see any combat in Iraq and had not previously demonstrated a risk of violence. He seemed to have a clean record that showed no ties to potential terrorists. Lopez had arrived at Fort Hood in February Fort Bliss, another Texas base near the Mexico border.
A family spokesman said Thursday that Lopez was upset he was granted only a 24-hour leave to attend his mother's funeral in November. That leave was then extended to two days.
On Friday, authorities formally identified the dead as 39-year-old Daniel Ferguson, of Mulberry, Fla.; 38-year-old Carlos Lazaney-Rodriguez, of Puerto Rico; and 37-year-old Timothy Owens, of Effingham, Ill.
Six soldiers wounded in the attack remained hospitalized Friday. Ten of the 16 have been released, Milley said.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Ted Cruz visited some of the wounded at a military hospital. Cruz said he was inspired by a soldier who had suffered a bullet wound to his abdomen, but still shielded other soldiers and called 911.

»Putin Wouldn't Dare Take Alaska05/04/14 11:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story from Bloomberg View. You might have missed the news that the mayor of Yakutsk, Russia, wants Spruce Island back. He claims to have documents that show that the island belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church, an...

»ivan lopez - YouTube04/04/14 19:39 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story . 5:22 James Franco Perv & Was Latest Fort Hood Shooting Caused by Ambien? by Shot of the Day 25 minutes ago Recorded on April 4, 2014. My Shot of the Day on Today's News including James Franco hitting on a...

»Abuse By Proxy - YouTube04/04/14 13:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story . Everything you Need to Know about Narcissists, Psychopaths, and Abuse - click on this link: http://www.narcissistic-abuse.com/faq... Abusers often use other people to do their dirty work for them. If all else...

»Four dead in shooting at Fort Hood03/04/14 23:23 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story . The 34-year-old soldier who went on a shooting rampage Wednesday at Fort Hood, Tex., had been undergoing treatment for depression and had seen a psychiatrist last month, but Army officials said Thursday they ...

»Slipknot - Sulfur [OFFICIAL VIDEO]03/04/14 19:19 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story . Slipknot's video for 'Sulfur' from the album, All Hope Is Gone - available now on Roadrunner Records. Antennas To Hell, the band's first compilation record, is also available below: - CD: http://smarturl.it/A...

»Slipknot Pentagram Meaning03/04/14 18:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story from Comments on: Slipknot Pentagram Meaning. Tattoos Pentagrams Meaning: Slipknot Pentagram Meaning You have decided to get a pentagrams meaning tattoo, but you are not sure of the type. It is common to not be...

»Ivan Slipknot - Google Search03/04/14 14:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story . About 436,000 results ABC News ‎- 2 hours ago The social media account is under the name Ivan Slipknot , rather than Ivan Lopez as the shooter has been identified by ABC News sources, but ... Big H...

»Jonathan Pollard - Google Search01/04/14 20:12 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story . About 62,500,000 results CNN ‎- 20 minutes ago (CNN) -- Jonathan Pollard , the former U.S. intelligence agent who was convicted of spying for Israel, could be released before the Jewish ... NPR (bl...

»Is Alaska Next On His List?31/03/14 23:47 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story . Sarah Palin has been laughing off the fact that she wasn’t included on the sanctions list issued by Russia in response to the U.S.’ sanctions list of prominent Russians. But analysts believe Vladi...

»undefined - Businessweek31/03/14 14:48 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story from Businessweek.com -- Top News. Police across the country may be intercepting phone calls or text messages to find suspects using a technology tool known as Stingray. But they're refusing to turn over detail...

»Official: Mahan sailor shot intruder30/03/14 21:21 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinksmikenova shared this story from navytimes.com. A sailor standing watch on Only chiefs, officers and duty section reported to the destroyer Mahan shot and killed a civilian who had gained access to the pier late Monday night, after the ma...

Omar Mateen and 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting - The Dots, The Darkness, and The Mirrors, part 2

Quotes and Questions for Investigations

THE DARKNESS OF THE LOWLY TRUTHS

9/11 and Russia – connecting the dots - by Michael Novakhov

FBI on a couch: problems and solutions: FBI as a domestic intelligence service

The American KGB and the Comey's visions: can Hoover's COINTELPRO thugs be transformed into the modern counterintelligence officers? | M.N.: The American KGB wants to take over the US government. Oy, gevalt! Maybe, it is the time to order a ticket to Madagascar.. - Quotes and Comments

What is wrong with the FBI?

The Kiryas Joel affair: "Sexual abuse" or FBI abuse? | Michael Ameri's suicide as a protest against the FBI: What is wrong with the FBI: its strategy, tactics, techniques and methods if they lead to these unexpected and tragic results?

Kiryas Joel: "Sexual abuse" or FBI abuse?

Is there a general attempt to mislead and to manipulate the FBI using the issues of sexual abuse as a pretext, as a way to deal with the political and other opponents?

Investigate the "investigators"! Part 2: FBI as "a high church for the true mediocre"

Investigate the "investigators"! FBI as "a high church for the true mediocre"

"At bottom, I mean profoundly at bottom, the FBI has nothing to do with Communism, it has nothing to do with catching criminals, it has nothing to do with the Mafia, the syndicate, it has nothing to do with trust-busting, it has nothing to do with interstate commerce, it has nothing to do with anything but serving as a church for the mediocre. A high church for the true mediocre." Norman Mailer | "Investigate the "investigators"! I would think that no less than 50% of the problems this country is facing is due to the FBI's inadequacy. This is a very important issue and the time has come to address it." - by Michael Novakhov